Tough Concrete Stains Need a Penetrating Concrete Cleaner

Retaining wall stains and oxidation, plus dirty and discolored concrete sidewalk area before DeckMAX Paver & Concrete Cleaner.

Over time all concrete surfaces, from garage floors and sidewalks to patios and retaining walls, will gather stains. Concrete is an excellent surface; however, every stain takes away from the curb appeal. If your concrete is darkening due to outdoor exposure or from general wear and tear, it needs to be cleaned. A scrub brush with soapy water won’t work on concrete. Use DeckMAX Paver and Concrete Cleaner to clean and eliminate tough concrete stains.

Why Are Concrete Stains So Tough?

Many don’t realize that hardscapes and concrete are porous materials. It may look like a solid material at a glance, but upon close inspection, you will see small indents. Furthermore, it has even smaller pores that you might not notice. As a building material made up of millions of pores; dirt and other particles get caught in these pores and it can be difficult to get out.

When you are cleaning with soapy water, the soap can help dislodge some of this dirt, but the issue is that the soap residue may be left behind instead. This will only serve to allow dirt to return faster because of its somewhat sticky nature. Furthermore, the bristles of a scrub brush can only penetrate so deeply into the pores in order to sweep away the dirt.

How to Clean Concrete Effectively

Instead of struggling to clean concrete with soapy water or more harmful and equally less effective measures like bleach, you should instead choose a dedicated concrete cleaner. By choosing a product dedicated to cleaning concrete and other hardscapes, you get a cleaner that knows how concrete operates. Dedicated concrete cleaners are formulated so that it can penetrate deeply to remove dirt from concrete pores so it can be removed without leaving any sticky residue behind like soapy water would.

In essence, it is best to think of concrete cleaner working in a similar way that facial cleaner does. It lifts dirt to the surface so that it can be washed away. You don’t want a facial cleaner becoming stuck in your facial pores, nor do you want a concrete cleaner being stuck in your concrete’s pores.

However, while concrete cleaner and a scrub brush will work for most stains, it won’t work for all of them. Tougher stains, especially those that have sat for a long period of time can be tricky. While the concrete cleaner might loosen the particles, if they have had time to really solidify in there, you will want to pursue more powerful means. If a scrub brush isn’t cutting it, you may want to consider pre-treating the area with a concrete cleaner, then using a pressure washer to penetrate deeply into the stain. Of course, using too high of pressure can damage the concrete by quickly eroding it away. However, by pre-treating with a concrete cleaner, you can use a safer, lower pressure to remove the stain easier without risk to the surface.

Are You Ready to Deep Clean Your Concrete?

Concrete cleaning can be a simple process. It can be done on your own, but there aren’t any hacks to make it easier and less tiring. It still involves a fair bit of scrubbing to apply the cleaner, even if you are going to use a power washer to get the best results.